Renewed Thailand-Cambodia border fighting displaces hundreds of
thousands
[December 10, 2025]
By JERRY HARMER and JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
SURIN, Thailand (AP) — Renewed border fighting between Thailand and
Cambodia showed no signs of abating Wednesday, leaving hundreds of
thousands of displaced people in both countries living in strained
conditions as more flooded into temporary shelters.
Associated Press reporters on the Thai side of the border heard sounds
of outgoing, indirect fire Wednesday.
About 400,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Thailand
and around 700 schools closed while fighting was ongoing in four border
provinces, Thai military spokesperson Rear Adm. Surasant Kongsiri said
Wednesday.
Cambodia evacuated more than 127,000 villagers and hundreds of schools
closed, the defense ministry said.
Thailand’s military announced that casualties this week include five
soldiers killed and dozens wounded. Cambodia said seven civilians died
and 20 others were wounded, though it did not update those figures on
Wednesday.
There is not yet a clear path to peace as Thailand’s Prime Minister
Anutin Charnvirakul vowed to continue to fight and Cambodia’s powerful
Senate President Hun Sen promised a fierce response.
A knock-on effect of the fighting and bad blood between the nations was
Cambodia’s withdrawal of its entire team from the 33rd Southeast Asian
Games, which began Tuesday in Thailand. A Wednesday announcement from
the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia said it regretted the action
but the families of competitors were concerned about their safety.
Trump says he will return sides to peace
The new, widespread fighting followed a skirmish Sunday that wounded two
Thai soldiers and derailed a ceasefire pushed by U.S. President Donald
Trump that ended armed combat in July.
The five days of fighting over territorial disputes left dozens dead on
both sides and forced the evacuation of thousands of civilians. The
ceasefire was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from
Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges from the two nations
unless they agreed.
Late Tuesday at a Pennsylvania political event, Trump said he would use
his sway to end the renewed combat.
“Tomorrow I’ll have to make a phone call,” Trump said. “Who else could
say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very
powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?’”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier called on the two sides to
live up to the commitments made at an October meeting in Malaysia that
reaffirmed the July ceasefire and called for removing heavy weapons from
the border, coordinating removal of land mines and other steps.
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A wounded Thai soldier is carried to be transferred to a hospital,
in Surin province, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, following
clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said
Wednesday that there had not yet been any contact with the United
States on the matter. He added that Thailand will not likely accept
if another third party proposes to mediate since “the line has been
crossed.”
The ceasefire was fragile from the start as both nations carried on
a bitter propaganda war and minor incidents of cross-border violence
continued.
Thailand deployed jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it
says are military targets, while Cambodia's most fearsome weapons
are BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of roughly 30-40 kilometers
(19-25 miles). They are capable of firing salvos of 40 rockets at a
time and mounted on trucks, making them less vulnerable to attack.
A Thai army statement said Cambodia on Tuesday launched
approximately 125 salvos from BM-21 launchers totaling about 5,000
rockets and that some had hit civilian areas, though no casualties
were reported.
Shelters provide safe haven but concerns remain
Away from the battlefronts, anxious evacuees are the most visible
sign of the crisis.
In a gymnasium in the northeastern Thai city of Surin, around 550
people are waiting out the combat, many having hurriedly fled after
the first shots were fired Sunday.
Officials have provided food and diversions for children. The
cooler, winter temperatures have kept the situation in the shelter
bearable, but there is inevitable boredom and concern about what
they left behind including homes, valuables and animals.
Thidarat Homhual, a 37-year-old farmer in the shelter with her
family, said her mind is on cows, ducks, four dogs and nine cats
left to fend for themselves.
“We are behind the front line. We can live like this. It’s OK,” she
said. “But I want it to be over. I miss my pets. I really miss my
pets, all the animals at home. I can’t really put it into words.”
___
Sopheng Cheang in Srei Snam, Cambodia, Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok
and Matthew Lee and Lou Kesten in Washington contributed to this
report.
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